Learn AWK with Real Code Examples

AWK processes text line by line and applies rules based on patterns.

It automatically splits data into fields, making it ideal for CSV/log processing.

Used heavily in Unix pipelines for automation, reporting, and data transformation.

Pattern matching with regex

BEGIN and END blocks

Automatic line and field variables

Associative arrays and loops

Inline scripts and standalone .awk programs

Patterns and actions ({})

Fields ($0, $1, $NF)

BEGIN/END blocks

Associative arrays

Variables and built-in functions

scripts/ - awk business logic

data/ - input logs/CSV

lib/ - reusable awk functions

tests/ - regression tests

docs/ - notes and pattern references

Write rules in .awk file

Pipe data from CLI or read from files

Test pattern matches

Iterate using AWK operators

Generate formatted output

Beginner: filtering lines and printing fields

Intermediate: generating reports and summaries

Advanced: multi-file processing and associative arrays

Expert: writing full ETL pipelines

Enterprise: integrating AWK into CI/CD workflows

Much faster for text parsing than Python

More concise than sed for structured text

More powerful than grep for field processing

Less general-purpose than Perl or Python

Better for CLI than full programming languages

1977 – Original AWK created

1985 – New AWK (nawk)

1990 – GNU AWK (gawk) released

2000s – Modern gawk improvements

2010s–2020s – Continued DevOps and Linux usage

Pattern: condition that triggers an action

Action: code executed when pattern matches

Field: data separated by delimiters

Record: usually a line of input

Associative array: key-value mapping